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At least 73 people died in a massive fire in a building in Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city, The Independent reports.

Another 43 people were injured after a fire swept through a multi-storey building in the city’s central business district, the municipal government said.

The fire broke out in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, Emergency Management Services said.

Robert Mulaudzi, the spokesperson for the EMS, said the death toll is likely to increase as a search-and-recovery operation was underway.

At least one minor was among the dead, Mr Mulaudzi said.

“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” he said.

Hours after the blaze, authorities said the fire was largely extinguished but thick-black smoke continued to seep out of the windows of the building in the downtown area of the city.

Johannesburg authorities said it is yet unknown what sparked the massive fire.